Wednesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

A new home sales measure says Florida prices hit a soft bottom in 2009, years earlier than what some experts have declared as the low point for real estate. The measure, similar to the respected national Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller price index, was created by Florida Realtors Chief Economist John Tuccillo to be a more accurate reflection of sale prices in the state. [Source: Palm Beach Post]

Following a weeklong “listening tour” of Florida schools, Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday he will name a panel of five superintendents to recommend cutting regulations and red tape that distract teachers in the classroom. Scott said his tour – which ended Monday in the Panhandle – has given him a new appreciation for how education goes hand-in-hand with his goal of job creation. Read more from the AP and First Coast News and the Palm Beach Post.

Lawsuits over worker pay rise as economy struggles

A recent lawsuit accusing Orlando-based Darden Restaurants of underpaying servers is one of a growing number of legal actions by workers who say their employers have shortchanged them. Employees filed more than 7,000 federal lawsuits commonly known as wage-and-hour cases during the past year, records show. Such actions have climbed steadily since 2008 and more than tripled since 2002. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

More companies are jumping into the land trust business. At least two new firms in Florida are trying to cancel mortgage debt with lawsuits that lenders call “baseless” and “nonsensical” but that some borrowers say are their last chance at keeping their homes. [Source: Palm Beach Post]

New study warns of a much fatter Florida

A new national report calling for more urgent action to prevent obesity outlines a stark future in Florida: If we do nothing to curb current trends, the percentage of obese adult Floridians is projected to explode from 26.6 today to 58.6 percent in 2030. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]